Rotary packer head



June 26, 1956 H. s. HOLSTON 2,751,657

ROTARY PACKER HEAD Filed Feb. 9, 1953 WWW JL'arald 61 160255012 ATTORN EYS ROTARY PACKER HEAD Harold Holston, Caruthers, Calif. Application February 9, 1953 Serial No. 335,639

7 Claims. (Cl. 25-36) This invention relates generally to apparatus for making concrete pipe.

The invention is directed particularly to, and. it is a major object to provide, an improved. rotary packer head for forming and internally finishing concrete pipe in an upstanding, cylindrical jacket or form.

United States Patent Another important object of the invention is to provide a rotary packer head which includes a trowehng cylinder secured axially on the lower end: of a driven, vertically reciprocable spindle, and a novel assembly of loose-Wall forming and thickness control blades, and following troweling and compacting rollers, mounted in circumferentially' and substantially equi-distantly space relation on a top plate included in the cylinder and to which top plate said spindle is secured;

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary packer head, as above, which embodies a novel arrangement'for removably securing the top plate in the troweling cylinder.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a rotary packer head which works fast and cleanly to form concrete pipe with a uniform density orv pack of the mix and an excellent internal finish.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary packer head which is operative to produce concrete pipe of relatively small diameter, yet maintaining desirable physical characteristics, such as the aforesaid uniform density" and excellent internal finish.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rotary packer'head which is operative to produce such pipe with a single pass of the packer head through the cylindrical jacket or form.

It is als'oan object of the invention to provide a rotary packer head which is designed for ease and economy of manufacture and operation; the device being simple but rugged, and capable of long usage, with a minimum of repair or replacement of parts.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a rotary packer head which is practical and reliable, and yet exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure: and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of. the following specification and claims.

, In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the rotary packer head as in use.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rotary packer head, with the spindle in section.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 includes a vertical-axis troweling cylinder whose outside diameter is substantially the inside diameter of the concrete pipe 2 which is produced in a cylindrical jacket or form 3.

2,751,657 Patented- June 26, 1956 2 The troweling cylinder 1 is of substantial height, and. its lower edge ischamfered, as at 4.

A circular top plate 5 enegages in matching, relation in the upper end of the troweling; cylinder 1, such top plate 5 being supported, and secured. in, position, as follows:'

The top plate 5 is bevel cut circumferentially at its lower corner, as at 6, and such bevel cut portion-rests at circumerentially spaced points in matching. relation. on lugs 7 which projectradially inwardly from the cylinder 1; the upper faces of such lugs. being inclined downwardly and inwardly in order to provide such matching engagement.

A circular bottom clamping plate 8 is disposed in:-the cylinder 1 beneath the lugs. 7, abutting against thehorir zontalbottoms thereof; the clamping, plate 8 being-see cured to the top plate 5 in hold-down relation to. the latter by studs 9'having nuts 10 threaded thereon.

For ease of assembly and disassembly,.the bottomtplate 8 is formed with cutouts or peripheral notches. 11. normally circumferentially olfset from the lugs 7. How.- ever, upon loosening of the nuts 10 and. bottom plate- 8 the latter may be turned sufiiciently to permit said-lugs to register with'the notches 11, whereby the assembly of bottom plate 8 and top plate 5 may be. drawn up.-.

wardly out of the cylinder 1.

A vertical. spindle 12 is fixed at its lower end, as. at 13, centrally to the top plate 5; such spindle 12 being of substantial height and provided at itsv upper end with a'connection 14 adapted to attach to the rotary, vertically reciprocable drive shaft (notshown) of a rotary packer head type, concrete pipe making machine.

On opposite sides of the spindle 12, the, top plate 5 is. fitted with a pair of vertical axis rollersv 15 of. sub.- stantial diameter; such rollers'having their outermost face disposed to work in substantially the same vertical plane as the adjacent side of the troweling cylinder. 1. The rollers 14 include internal bearings (not. shown), and a spindle 16' projects downward from each roller 15 through the top. plate 5, being secured to the latter by a threaded-on nut 17. The bottom plate 8 is cut away, as at 18, to provide access to the nuts 17; Q

' Being opposed, the rollers 15 he 1'80 apart, andin: termediate such rollersi. e. 90 from each thereof, and on opposite sides of the spindle 12-the device. is fitted with upstanding, radially projecting mounting brackets 19. Themounting brackets 1'9are for the pur-' pose of supporting upstanding, loose-wall formi'nggand thickness control blades 20 which are circumferentially arcuate on their outer faces; such faces being concentric; to the axis of rotation of the packer head. The blades 20. each include, and trail from the outer edge. of; an -inwardly extending upstanding, attachment and distributor plate 2'I securedto the mounting brackets 19- in overlapping and radially adjustable relation thereto bycross bolts 22, each of which extends through a radially the plates 21",,form a continuous transverse wall between;

theopposed blades 20, Q

The plates 21 are set so that the outer faces of. tl1 e control blades 20 run in a predetermined circum'f'eren tial path which hes inwardly of the circumferential path of the outer faces of the rollers 15; this for the reason hereinafter described.

When the above described rotary packer head is in use, it is simultaneously rotated at substantial speed and moved upwardly in the jacket 3. At the same time a controlled quantity of concrete mix is fed into the jacket 3 from its upper end by means not here shown; such mix falling directly onto the circular top plate 5, and then being distributed centrifugally outwardin a horizontal direction by the mix distributor plates 21.

From the outer ends of. they mix distributor plates 21, the mix discharges forcefully against 'the cylindrical jacket 3, whence the trailing blades 20' initially shape the pipe in loose-wallform; the mix being controlled as topro'per initial or loose wall'thickness by said blades20; As the outer faces'of 'such blades 20 are concentric "to the axis of rotation, and run inwardly of the path of the outer faces offrollers 15 and cylinder 1, the function of said faces of blades 20 is one of pipe wall formation rather than compaction. p "As: the' blades 20 control'the'initial thickness of" the loose wall, overloading of the followingroller's'lSjand which function to forcefully compact the pipe wall, is efi'ectively prevented.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful, and upon which-Letters Patent aredesired:

1. A rotary packer head, for a concrete pipe making machine, comprising a vertical axis troweling cylinder, a circular top plate in the upper end of the cylinder, means releasably securing the top plate in place in the cylinder, a spindle upstanding centrally from the top plate, and pipe forming and wo'rkinginstrumentalities mounted on the top plate about said spindle; said top plate securing means including inward projections on the cylinder, the top plate seating on the projections, a bottom plate abutting the projections from above, and releasable tie elements connecting said plates and clamping Thus, by reason of the fact that the blades accurately plate being bevel cut to'match. q

3. A rotary packer head, as infclaim 2, in which the projections are radially inwardly'extending lugs; the bot.- tom plate having lug escape notches in the periphery thereof normally circumferentially ofiset from said lugs.

the concrete pipe 2, as initially formed by the blades 20,

and compactedby rollers 15, is further worked ,by the depending troweling cylinder 1; this to assure that the formed'pipe, while'wet, cannot collapse under the, workingpressures exerted by said blades and rollers.

The herein described rotary packer head produces pipe 2' which has a very excellent internal finish; the'finish' being even, relatively smooth, and with a minimum of imperfection, a

' By virtue of the particular construction of the'described rotary packer head, including the relationship .of' the blades 20 and rollers 15 on the top' plate 5, ,the device is 'capablejof use to manufacture concrete pipeof rela-' tively small size, even down to' 8" pipe. Y As shown, the blades 20 and plates 21 are of substantially greater height than the rollers, 15; the advantage being that excess mix, carried ahead of said bladesfand plates, cannot spill rearwardlyinto the path of said'roll ers to overload the same and cause variance in the final wall structureof the pipe.

f The purpose of the radial adjustment of the plates 21 is to regulate the desired thickness of the initially. formed loose wall, and also to compensate for fine or coarse rnix. By reason 'of the substantial equi distant circumferen tial spacing 'of the blades 20 and rollers 15' the rotary packer head is nicely balanced and runs without vibration, which further assures of themanufacture of'pipe'havi'n'g constant wall thickness. 7

I From the foregoing description it will be readily-Seen that there has beenprodueed such a device as substantially fulfillsjthe objects of the invention, as set forth herein. 'j 1 The present application is'a continuation of application,

Serial No. 173,989, filed July 15, 1 950, and'now ab'anfdoned.

v 4. A rotary packer head, for a concrete pipe making machine, comprising a vertical axis troweling cylinder, a solid surfaced top plate secured in the upper end of the troweling cylinder adapted to receive concrete mix thereon from above, a driven vertical spindle extending from thetop plate centrally thereof, opposed vertical-axistrow cling and compacting rollers mounted in .a fixed position on' the top plate with the outer faces of thev rollers running in substantially the vertical plane of the outer face of the cylinder, upstandingmix distributor plates rigid and projecting upwardly from the top plate between the rollers, and opposed loose-wall forming and thickness control blades projecting from the radially outer edge of the plates, said blades having convexly arcuate outer faces disposed adjacent but'radiallyinward of saidverticalplane of the cylinder face. ,7 v v 5. Ahead, as in claim 4,. with means mounting the distributor plates in connection with the top plate and comprising opposed upstanding brackets secured to the top plate and extending radially of the axis of the spindle in lapping engagement with said distributor plates on the following side thereof, jand means removably securing the engaged brackets and plates togethener 6. A head, as in claim 4, in Whichthe blades are disposedsubstantially equidistant between the rollers.

7. A head, as in claim 4, :which saidblades and the corresponding distributor plates extend upwardly from the top plate'to an upper edge termination in a common horizontalplane a substantial distance above the upper 1 ends of the rollers.

While'this specification sets forth indetail' the present and preferred construction of the device, still'in practice such" deviations from such detail "may be resorted tofas' References Cited a the file of, this patent UNITEDiSTATES PATENTS 1.;

1,616,816 Martin i "Feb58, 1927 1,895,740 Ukropina Jan. 31,1933 1,972,002 Almquist Aug 28,- 1934 2,143,448 ORourke J-Jan. 10,- 1939 2,193,286 La Due Mar. 12, 1940v FOREIGN PATENTS v 1 

